Teachers will receive their increased salaries by the end of the week following the signing of an agreement between their unions and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) that gives the highest percentage to the lowest paid teachers.
The deal, signed on Monday (August 28) at the Kenya School of Government, ranges between 7 and 9.5 percent and will be backdated to July 1, 2023 and spread over two years, but the unions said they would press on with their earlier demands.
These include increases in their basic salaries and housing allowances for rural teachers, who will be the biggest beneficiaries as their allowances have been harmonised with Cluster 3, which previously applied to teachers working in the former municipalities. About 87 per cent of teachers work in rural areas, which are classified as Cluster 4.
When fully implemented, the basic salary for the lowest paid teachers (Job Grade B5) will increase from Sh21,756 to Sh23,830 plus a house allowance of Sh3,850. Their commuting and leave allowances will not be affected by the changes.
"The new salary structure will be implemented immediately in the August payroll and backdated to July 1, 2023. We assure our teachers that they will receive their salaries by the end of the month," said TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, who represented the TSC alongside its chairperson Jamleck Muturi John.
The agreement was signed as an addendum to the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed by the parties on July 13, 2021, but had no monetary component.
The unions last week refused to sign a wage increase offered by TSC that would have raised salaries by between 2.4 percent and 9.5 percent. The agreement was reached after behind-the-scenes negotiations late last week and consultations with the top decision-making bodies of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet). The Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers also signed the agreement.
Unlike last week, when the commission met all the union officials together, yesterday they met them separately, but all were present at the joint press conference.
"We have reached a consensus that will mainly protect teachers from high inflation and increased taxes. Like Knut, we've always asked for a sixty per cent [increase]. We've secured ten [per cent] and we're coming for the next fifty [per cent]. We don't take that for granted, because we thank the president and the TSC," said Collins Oyuu, Knut's general secretary.
He also called for the payment of acting allowances to teachers in acting capacities in administrative positions. Many teachers are currently serving in acting capacities as heads of institutions or deputies. Last week, the TSC advertised 36,275 vacancies for promotions in various grades.
Teachers' August salaries have not been processed as the commission was awaiting the outcome of negotiations yesterday. Ms Macharia said they would be paid by Thursday.
"In the interest of ensuring industrial harmony in the sector, the parties have resumed negotiations to conclude the process that started many months ago. After open and honest deliberations, we are happy to announce to the nation and our teachers that we have reached an agreement," she said.
However, the parties agreed to set up joint technical committees to address issues that were not resolved at yesterday's meeting. One of the issues is a review of the career progression guidelines used by the TSC to promote teachers . The model has been blamed for causing stagnation in career progression, especially for non-administrative teachers.
"During the talks, Kuppet strongly objected to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission capping teachers at grade C5. The two sides will revisit the matter administratively once all the data has been shared," said Akello Misori, Kuppet General Secretary.
"The union and the Commission have started a structured dialogue to resolve all the emerging issues on the implementation of the 2021-2025 CBA. Some of the issues, such as the staffing of schools, have their origins in the 2016-2017 CBA," Misori said.
In 2019, the unions presented their salary increase proposals to the employer ahead of CBA negotiations, but their demands were never met after they were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to the cashless CBA. Kuppet is demanding a 30 to 70 percent pay rise, while Knut is demanding 60 per cent.
